Bill to regulate habal-habal in Visayas and Mindanao

A lawmaker has filed a bill regulating the operation of habal-habal, an indigenous

means of transportation in Visayas and Mindanao.
Rep. Juliette T. Uy (nd !istri"t, Misamis #riental$ said %ouse &ill '()' seeks to
grant *o"al +o,ernment Units (*+Us$ the authority to regulate and "ontrol the use of the
habal-habal in their respe"ti,e -urisdi"tions.
./t is hoped that this measure shall disaggregate data on registered motor"y"les and
tri"y"les at the *and Transportation #ffi"e (*T#$. As of 012, *T# data state there are
',30,44( registered motor"y"les and tri"y"les in the "ountry. There is no separate
"ategory for habal-habal at this point,5 Uy said.
Uy said the purpose of the bill is to legali6e habal-habal, a means of transportation
usually used by the lo"al people in far7flung areas where tru"ks, -eepneys and tri"y"les
"annot pass.
.8in"e habal-habal "annot be registered as ,ehi"les for hire, the proliferation of the
same is a "lear and present danger for the riding publi". This is be"ause passengers who
get in-ured or hurt in a""idents in,ol,ing this mode of transportation "annot "laim medi"al
benefits or reimbursements sin"e motor"y"les7for7hire are not "o,ered by any form of
insuran"e,5 Uy stressed.
./t is a fa"t of life for all people in the hilly and mountainous pro,in"es in *u6on,
the Visayas and Mindanao to ride the habal-habal sin"e tru"ks, buses, -eeps and tri"y"les
"annot pass or a""ess the rough roads that are steep and narrow. This measure will in
effe"t bring the motor"y"les for hire into the sphere of poli"y regulation and the benefits
that the general riding publi" will ha,e on"e this is passed into law,5 Uy said.
Uy e9plained that despite the a""eptan"e of motor"y"les7for7hire and the now
"ommon operations of the same by the tra,eling publi", e9isting law "onsider these as
illegal.
Uy said "urrent transportation laws prohibit the registration of motor"y"les7for7hire
sin"e Republi" A"t '124 otherwise known as the *and Transportation and Traffi" :ode
"lassified motor"y"les for pri,ate use only.
Uy said regulating habal-habal operations should enable operators of the same to
register their motor"y"les as publi" transport and be "o,ered by the law on "ommon
"arriers.
NR # 3582
SEPT. 7, 2014
The bill seeks to amend Republi" A"t (140 otherwise known as the *o"al
+o,ernment :ode of 1))1 so that .8ub-e"t to the guidelines pres"ribed by the !epartment
of Transportation and :ommuni"ations, the Sangguniang Bayan shall regulate the
operation of motor"y"les7for7hire or habal-habal and tri"y"les and grant fran"hises for the
operation thereof within the territorial -urisdi"tion of the muni"ipality.5
#n the appli"ation for operator;s permit, the bill pro,ides that *+Us shall re"ei,e,
e,aluate and pro"ess all appli"ations for the grant of fran"hise to operate habal-habal
within their territorial -urisdi"tion.
The owner of a motor"y"le7for7hire who fails to register its operation shall be
penali6ed with a fine ranging from <2,300 to <3,000 and the unit shall be impounded until
it is registered. (20$ lvc